A Guide On How To Become A Psychologist

Deciding how to become a psychologist is a decision people make regularly. Many individuals will decide to become psychologists Their reasons vary, but many feel it might be challenging and rewarding profession. Psychologists value are obvious today, and if the personality is right, it can be a very rewarding career. This article covers some of the basic things you'll need to do to decide if psychology is a career you want to pursue.

Find Out As Much As You Can

In order to make an informed decision about this profession, you should take some time and talk to practicing psychologists about your interests. What you want to accomplish with this kind of survey is to get a feel for the profession, and find out about the different types of psychology there is that you can pursue. Based on the results of your survey, you'll see what you want to study in college.

College Can Add To Your Knowledge

Going to college will be the beginning of your pursuits as you pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology. Your college advisor will help you tailor a program to fit your needs and wants. Usually during the last two years of your college coursework, you'll be taking psychology and related courses exclusively. Your senior year will probably also have an internship in the psychology field. All this is designed to give you a realistic feel for the profession.

Your Next Step After Getting Your Undergraduate Degree

Your next steps after receiving your undergraduate degree is to continue to graduate school. Going to graduate school will be very beneficial on your road to being a full-time psychologist. Grad school will let you work in research areas, work or teach psychology. One thing you'll want to remember is that if you want to practice, you'll want to get your Ph.D. with a focus on the specific subfield of psychology you want to pursue.

Get Your Licensing from Your State

Every state has their own unique standards and licensing methods that would-be psychologists need to pass in order to practice. Certification exams are necessary and some residency practicing required under supervision. There are also ongoing requirements that need to be met in order to keep practicing. There are courses that need to be taken that deal with licensing maintenance.

Finding out what type of subfield you wish to pursue, concentrating on the area that interests you, passing certification and keeping your licenses current are some of the big hurdles you need to do in order to be successful. In the end, if you're thinking about how to be a psychologist, follow these basic steps and you'll be well on your way towards success.